It's notable that Episode 3 feels a lot longer than the other episodes. I'm not entirely sure if this is because the episode actually is longer than most, or if it's because the decisions I made felt like they had more weight. Unfortunately, there are points where it feels like the action moves just a bit too slowly, but once again, I think this is a matter of perspective. The episode itself feels so much more important that downtime segments just feel like they last much longer.

The game looks great, like always. The comic book graphical style leapfrogs right over the uncanny valley. It creates characters that we can project ourselves onto and identify with, even if they don't necessarily appear to be "human." However, as good as the engine is, it still had some issues. Certain lightning effects seemed off. Random animation errors made the game seem stiff at times. At one point, the camera even spazzed out on me. Still, all of this was fixed by a simple alt-tab out of the game window. It's not nearly problematic enough to warrant a patch or a fix, it's just something you'll notice from time to time.

I honestly can't say much more about The Walking Dead Episode 3 without spoiling it in ways that I'm not willing to do. This, dear readers, is art, pure and simple. This is what the video game medium allows us to do. This is cinematic gaming at its absolute best—a direct, personal, jarring, dark narrative. Savor it while you can, before the zombie apocalypse brings an end to all things.

ByAngelo D'Argenio
Contributing Writer
Date: August 30, 2012

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.3

GraphicsAside from a few errors, the graphics look great as always.

4.0

ControlIt's a point-and-click adventure, and that's hard to screw up.

4.8

Music / Sound FX / Voice ActingThe voice acting is perfect.

5.0

Play ValueThis is art, pure and simple.

4.8

Overall Rating - Must BuyNot an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend

0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid

2.5 - 2.9 = Average

3.5 - 3.9 = Good

4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy

2.0 - 2.4 = Poor

3.0 - 3.4 = Fair

4.0 - 4.4 = Great

5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Hard moral choices that carry over from episode to episode.

Go back and tweak your choices to your choosing after completing the episode once.